Overhead conductor cables are commonly suspended from a messenger cable typically made of high strength alloys. The messenger cable is supported on poles or towers with the conductor cable spacers arranged at spaced intervals along the messenger cable to suspend one or more conductor cables. Since many power circuits require three phase electric power, it is often convenient to suspend conductor cables in groups of three. A spacer supports all three conductor cables and simultaneously maintains the conductors in spaced relation.
If the advantages of suspending conductors in this manner are to be fully availed, it is essential that the spacer be easily attached to the messenger cable and to the conductor cables. To provide ease of attaching the spacer to the cables and to reduce the number of parts required, the means for retaining the cables in their respective seats of the spacer should accommodate cables of varying cross sectional diameters without requiring bushings, sleeves, grommets or the like.
The construction of the spacer should be such that all of its parts have both high mechanical and electrical strength and are durable in use. In addition, all parts of the spacer should be economical to manufacture and to assemble.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,020,277 issued Apr. 26, 1977 to Hendrix Wire & Cable Corporation, the predecessor to the instant assignee, discloses a spacer for aerial cables. The spacer includes a body member having at least one generally arcuate cable retaining means adapted to engage a surface of the conductor cable and retain the cable in a concave seat of the spacer. One end of the cable retaining means is pivotally supported on the body member. Generally arcuate ratchet tooth means are provided adjacent the other end of the cable retaining means. Generally arcuate ratchet tooth means are also provided on the body member outwardly of the concave seat. The teeth of the retainer ratchet tooth means are engagable with the teeth of the body member ratchet tooth means when the retaining means is rotated about its pivotal support, thereby to firmly retain the conductor cable in the concave seat.
Hawkins U.S. Pat. No. 4,480,149 discloses a spacer for overheard electric lines. The cable is gripped between an inside elastomer bushing and an outside elastomer bushing. The bushing halves are compressed and held together about the conductor by a U-shaped resilient clip, which has snaps which are fitted into grooves disposed on the spacer.
However, it has been found in the prior art spacers that the force exerted on the cable is not satisfactory. Alternatively, it has been found that it is difficult to close the cable retainer with sufficient force exerted on the cable.